Chrysteen Borja - Macramé Plant Hangers

Copyright 2020 by Chrysteen Borja All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

Skyhorse and Skyhorse Publishing are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file. Cover design by Jessica Lennard Cover photo credit by Chrysteen Borja Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-4439-4 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-4442-4 Printed in China TABLE OF CONTENTS Projects INTRODUCTION I have been a maker for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, probably around five years old, I used to beg my mom to buy me cross-stitching patterns, books on how to draw, and calligraphy materials! Since then, I have been feeding my creative soul by teaching myself anything I can get my hands on. Learning something new is what lights me up.

I am currently a stay-at-home mother to my toddler son and we have two crazy dogsand while I love it, sometimes I need to do something to relax after a long day of raising my little human and doggies. Being creative and learning new skills is what I always come back to. I am content with a long and difficult project as much as I am with one that is simple and quick. I run a creative business, Waverly Knots, where I teach macram and weaving workshops in Seatttle and its surrounding areas. In addition, I also create unique art supplies for artists, ranging from looms and wood shapes to naturally dyed ribbon. I love empowering others to create, which is why I came up with the projects in this book.

Here, I will teach basic techniques and mix them up with different ideas and materials to make each project unique. I have also included some non-traditional macram pieces that use beautiful materials from nature. My hope for you is that these easy and creative projects will spark even more inspiration inside of you. Have a lot of funI hope you love the projects in this book as much as I do! Chrysteen Borja GETTING STARTED What Is Macram? Macram is a way of knotting to create textiles, patterns, and dcor. It is similar to weaving and knitting, where fibers are woven together using certain techniques to make a product. Macram has woven its way through history and cultures and is believed to have been around since the thirteenth century.

Today, it has made a comeback and is back in trendhow amazing is that? What I love about macram is that you can learn a couple of knotting techniques quickly and then create an impressive wall hanging or plant hanger. When I started macram four or five years ago, my mother, mother-in-law, and aunts all said, I did that in the seventies! It was exciting to share a creative art with them, as well as with everyone else who had done it in the past. I, too, am having fun passing on my creative process to my sonI dont think he thinks very much of it now, but hopefully he will when hes older. While cotton rope, jute, hemp, and twine have always been common materials for macram, what I hope to show you in this book is that you can use so many other materials to do macram. I even use recycled fabrics from my closet! In addition, I will teach you a couple of simple weaving techniques to incorporate into your macram project. Materials Something to knot with, of course! We will talk about this in more detail in the fibers section (). Materials Something to knot with, of course! We will talk about this in more detail in the fibers section ().

Rings and hoops. Rings are a staple in most plant hanger styles. We will be using wood rings in a few projects. Driftwood or a dowel. Driftwood is a beautiful addition to macram or any fiber art. You can also use copper, wood, or metal dowels.

Beads, metal shapes, charms, flowers, and anything else you can think of to add to your pieces to make them unique. Tools Scissors to cut fibers. Tape measure to measure the length of your fiber. Clothes rack to work off of. Large S-hooks to hang your piece from while you create. Tape to tape up the ends of your rope to keep it from fraying while you create.

Space Heres how to work on your piece. I like to work off of a clothes rack while sitting down. It is easier to see the pieces and keep the correct tension while working vertically. If you prefer to work off of a table, you can take a C-clamp, place your work within that clamp, and clamp it on the edge of the table while you work on the opposite side. Fibers This is one of my favorite parts of creating. I love picking out different fibers to make something with.

You really can use anything to create macram; dont limit yourself! Rope One of the main elements of macram today is cotton rope, which consists of three strands that are twisted together. Rope is great for a more modern look and can also be taken apart to create an amazing fringe. You can find different varieties of rope, like hemp, jute, and colored rope. Single-Strand String You will see a lot of pieces made with single-strand cotton string. It is similar to the rope, but it only consists of one strand. It is commonly referred to as just string.

You can create a fray in single-strand string when you comb it out with a brush. Like rope, you can also find hemp and colored string. Felted Wool This is wool that is hand felted and dyed in beautiful batches. I love the thickness and the soft, squishy texture it gives. You will typically see this in sizes in around 10 mm, which is pretty chunky, and 5 mm. Wool Roving Roving is a bundle of fiber that is typically used to spin yarn.